Reviews

I enjoyed most of this book but can’t help to have some qualms about how Edward willing to go to brothels just to not entangled himself with Anna and forget her. They have no relationship yet so can’t truly fault him, but imagine if its not Anna in London? Though, he feels guilty like he cheated kinda cute…. For me it would be nice if that man wanted Anna only and can’t fathom touching anyone else

winemakerssister's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

My first time reading Elizabeth Hoyt -- I'll be looking for more of her books!

The fairy tale The Raven Prince is interwoven between a tightly written, sometimes funny Georgian romance between an earl and his female secretary.

I think one of my favorite aspects of the novel was that neither of the protagonists were beautiful - Anna was sort of mousy and plain and Edward had a large nose, thin lips, scars from the pox, and a temper that scared most of the people around him. And yes, the florid, over-the-top, historically inaccurate covers kept me from reading historical romance for DECADES, but this one is particularly bad. The hero and heroine are supposed to be plain and/or ugly! Instead we get a beautiful woman in an ugly prom dress with a handsome hero. I like the cover on the paperback much, much better.

Themes: ugly duckling, Beauty and the Beast, brothels, agriculture, 2nd chances

zeef33's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ceena's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This book is quite light-hearted, but definitely heavy on the sex. I started this book expecting a simple story with the main obstacles being the Earl’s obnoxious behavior and Anna’s widow-status, but what we got instead was a story revolving more around brothels and the inability to have children. So, I did feel a bit confused, but I thought it gave the story more depth and is one of those times when I’m glad the synopsis did not ruin the entire story.

This is not a complex story, so the characters were not super complex, but they were still enjoyable. We have the stereotypes of the village ‘slut’ if you will, the smart heroine who has been wrong, the brutish hero who is more than he seems, and some other side characters with a little life to them. These aren’t new characters, but the way they were written, kept the story from seeming ‘done-before’.

Unfortunately, I did find the plot to be a bit unbelievable, especially for that time period, but if the reader can overlook that, then I think they will enjoy the book. But, a proper lady ‘stepping out of her role’ and having sex in a brothel, even though she picked and knew the man she had sex with, seems so out of character for the time.

I do want to talk about the fairy tale told in snippets at the start to each chapter, The Raven Prince. I did not understand why the fairy tale was being told or how it related to the story. The last chapter, did somewhat bring it around, but the way it was told made it seem like the story was supposed to relate to this fairy tale. I did not see the connect, so perhaps someone else could help me out with that…

All in all, it was an enjoyable book and I will be continuing the series.

--[b:Three Weeks With Lady X|18052956|Three Weeks With Lady X (Desperate Duchesses by the Numbers, #1; Desperate Duchesses, #7)|Eloisa James|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1382507520s/18052956.jpg|25337638]
These books feature women who fall in love with their exasperating, but wealthy, employers in the Georgian era.
--[b:And Then He Kissed Her|97781|And Then He Kissed Her (Girl Bachelors, #1)|Laura Lee Guhrke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349735799s/97781.jpg|94261]
Beautiful women in historical settings who end up with exasperating employers.
--[b:Some Enchanted Evening|490431|Some Enchanted Evening (Lost Princesses, #1)|Christina Dodd|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1175191198s/490431.jpg|633010]
Historical settings with women who fall in love with stubborn men.
--[b:My Lady Notorious|1022794|My Lady Notorious (Malloren, #1)|Jo Beverley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1324866492s/1022794.jpg|1008977]
This is for the reader who wants a bit more action, but still a Georgian romance.

anananaan's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny mysterious relaxing fast-paced

4.5

maraya21's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

1.5 Stars

(Minority) Review to come¡¡

Group Read (BOTM) for December 2017 with Unapologetic Romance Readers

bean27's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

love when the mmc is ugly

More...